ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Bemidji State University
Baseball team has been picked to finish ninth in the 2009 Northern Sun
Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced by the
NSIC office today.

Defending NSIC regular
season Champions in 2007 and 2008, Wayne State (Neb.) was selected as
2009 preseason favorite for the sixth year in a row, as the Wildcats
gathered six out of thirteen first place votes. WSC totaled 149 points
while league newcomer, Minnesota State came in second with 135 points
and four first place votes with the 2008 NSIC Tournament Champions,
Concordia University, St. Paul holding down the third slot in the poll
with 135 points and three first place votes.

Winona
State earned the fourth spot with 113 points while Upper Iowa was close
behind in fifth with 105 points, respectively. St. Cloud State edged
Southwest Minnesota State for the sixth spot by the narrowest of
margins. The Huskies garnered 102 total points while the Mustangs slid
into seventh with 101 points.

Bemidji State
was selected ninth (70), sandwiched between Minnesota Duluth (75) and
the University of Mary (59) to round out the top ten. Augustana (58),
Northern State (37) and Minnesota, Crookston (24) were picked to finish
in the last three spots to round out the poll.

Concordia
University swept the Preseason Player of the Year awards as senior
outfielder Brenden Furrow was picked as NSIC Preseason Player of the
Year while the Golden Bears Jake Schmidt was tabbed as the league’s
Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Juntunen
started 33 games at first last season and will once again anchor the
lineup as one of Bemidji State’s top run producers. The starting first
baseman batted .282 last season and was second on the team in RBI’s
(24), home runs (6) and double’s (7). He also put together eight
multiple hit games and five contests with two or more RBI including a
six RBI performance versus the University of Mary on Apr. 16, 2008. He
is also a tremendous asset in the field as he was second on the team
with a .990 fielding percentage after committing just two errors on 199
chances. The 6-3, 205 pound lefty is also one of the Beavers top
pitchers. Last season, Juntunen posted a 5-5 record through 12
appearances that spanned a team leading 66.1 total innings. He
possesses great command of his pitches, as evidenced by his 65
strikeouts and 20 walk in 2008. Juntunen also led the team with three
complete games with eleven games started compiling a 4.61 ERA.

Bohannan
started 28 games in right field a year ago garnering a perfect 1.000
fielding percentage on 64 attempts. Last season the 5-11, 170 pound
senior hit .293 pounding out three extra base hits and driving in 12
RBI. Bohannan crossed the plate 10 times as a junior while stealing two
bases in three attempts. On the mound, Bohannan turned in a 2-3 record
and a 3.66 ERA and was very effective in the clutch as he recorded a
team-high four saves. He also held his opponents to a team-low .188
batting average while striking out 23 batters in 36.2 innings of work.

Bemidji
State opens its 2009 baseball campaign on Feb. 5, when it opens a
two-game series at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis,
Minn. versus the Northern State Wolves. The Beavers and Wolves will
play two seven inning games starting at 6 p.m. Bemidji State’s home
opener will be Apr. 7 versus Southwest Minnesota State.

Bemidji
State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II
institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
(NSIC).